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Mar 05

Space Rocket History #103 – Saturn Development 1957 – 1960

Posted on March 5, 2015 by spac9750

Many historians agree, the U.S. took its first step toward the moon in the spring of 1957, four years before President Kennedy declared the national goal of landing a man on the Moon, and returning him safely to the Earth. While still preparing for the launch of its first Jupiter (May 31 1957), the Army rocket team at Huntsville, Alabama, began studies of a booster ten times more powerful than the 150,000-pound thrust Jupiter…

Clustered Booster

Thor-Jupiter Engine

Early H-1 Engine

Launch Complex 34 Cape Canaveral

Proposed Saturn B Rocket

Proposed Saturn C Rocket

Saturn with Titan & Atlas Upper Stages

Saturn C-1 and Earlier Vehicles

Proposed Saturn C-2 Rocket

Booster Stage (S-I)

Second Stage (S-IV)

Jul 03

Space Rocket History #69 – Zond 3, Venera 3, and Asterix

Posted on July 3, 2014 by spac9750

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The Zond program was one of two lunar exploration programs conducted by the Soviet Union to investigate the Moon and its vicinity. The program began in 1964 and ended in 1979. The early Zond’s 1-3 were originally designed for planetary exploration, while the latter Zonds (4-8) were sent on circum lunar flights. Additionally, the latter Zond vehicles were of a totally different in design. They were in fact automated versions of the manned Soyuz spacecraft…

Zond 3

Far Side of the Moon

Venera 3

Asterix

Diamant

By Dave.

Aug 15

Space Rocket History #25 – Mercury Redstone 3 – Freedom 7 with Alan Shepard

Posted on August 15, 2013 by spac9750

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Over 52 years ago, in the early hours of May 5th, 1961 the US prepared to launch its first man into space. Three weeks earlier, the Soviet Union had sent Yuri Gagarin on an orbital mission. This was a suborbital mission planed to last only 15 minutes. For the moment that did not matter, the entire nation held its breath while Alan Shepard became America’s first man in space.

Medical Telemetry

Shepard Suiting Up

Climbing In

Personal Problem

Launch

45 Million Viewers

Control Panel

Console Panel

Navigation Aids

Flight Plan

In Flight

On the Carrier

Huntsville

Shepard & Kennedy

Medal Ceremony

Jun 06

Space Rocket History #15 – Sputnik 3 & Luna 1

Posted on June 6, 2013 by spac9750

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The launch vehicle for the Luna E-1 series was a modified R7 named Vostok. The Vostok had three stages. The first and second stage were the standard R-7 which we covered in Episode 9. A 5.1 meter long by 2.4 meter diameter third stage was added to the top of the R-7. The third stage weighed 1472 kg and was capable of delivering 54.5 kiloNewtons or 12,252 lbs of thrust. This was the probes booster stage that gave it enough speed to escape Earth’s gravity.